W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Thursday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,081.55 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.67 billion, a PE ratio of 29.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger has a 1-year low of $800.97 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $1,150.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,026.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 38.94 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 23,398 shares of company stock worth $25,116,181. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at about $75,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.